Chapter Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Part I 1

There once was a poor boy whose name was Aladdin

His father was a tailor When his father died, Aladdin’s mother had to work to earn a living

One day, a stranger greeted Aladdin

“Tell me, son,” said the stranger “Are you the son of the tailor?”

“Yes,” said Aladdin

The stranger threw his arms around him “My dear nephew!” he cried “Your father was my brother! Now I learn he is dead! What a shame!”

A stranger greeted Aladdin.

Aladdin took the man to his mother She was surprised Her husband had never spoken of a brother Even so, she greeted the man kindly When he promised to help Aladdin become a merchant, she believed him

But the stranger was not Aladdin’s uncle He was a magician from faraway north Africa He had come to Persia in search of a magic lamp It was said that this lamp would make a man rich To find the lamp, the magician needed a helper He was looking for someone who would help without asking any questions He thought Aladdin was just the right person

The next day, the magician came to get Aladdin

“Come with me,” he said “I will introduce you to other merchants ” Then, he led the boy out into the country

Aladdin took the man to meet his mother.

The magician led Aladdin up a steep mountain They climbed for an hour Then, they came to a spot where no flowers grew

“Get some sticks,” said the magician “We will make a fire Then, I will show you something amazing ”

Aladdin did as he was told The magician lit the fire Then, he threw perfumes into it and chanted magical words The sky darkened Thunder rumbled The earth opened at their feet There before them was a large stone with a brass ring attached

“Under this stone is a treasure,” said the magician “It will make you richer than any king Lift the stone by the ring Then, go down the stairs You will pass many treasures, but you must not touch them You will enter a garden There you will see a lamp hanging from a tree Bring that lamp to me Once you have it, you may gather any of the treasures that you see ”

Aladdin was amazed He could not believe what he was being asked to do But he agreed

“Take this ring,” said the magician “It will keep you safe from harm ” Aladdin took it and placed it on his finger

The magician told Aladdin what to do.

Aladdin lifted the stone He went down the stairs

He made his way through a hallway of treasures He was careful not to touch anything When he found the lamp, he tucked it inside his bag Then, he filled his pockets with all the glittering things he saw He didn’t know they were precious gems He was thinking, “I will gather these pretty things to play with at home ”

All those gems weighed Aladdin down When he came to the top of the staircase, he could not climb out “Give me a hand, Uncle,” he cried

“First, give me the lamp,” the magician answered

The lamp was buried in the bag Aladdin was carrying

“I cannot reach it now,” Aladdin said

“Hand it up to me,” said the magician

“But I can’t!” Aladdin said

The magician grew angry “The lamp!” he cried, for that was all he cared about

But Aladdin did not want to drop anything “I will give it to you when I get out,” he said

The impatient magician felt he could wait no longer

He chanted a magic spell The stone rolled back, trapping

Aladdin in the black darkness of the cave